All is Well 02: Sorting Himself Out
by xenokattz
Summary: Rose tried very hard to be good but sometimes, the boys in her life could do with a good smacking.


Goodness knew, Rose tried. She tried very, very, very hard until she felt the very breath would burst out of her feet and her eyeballs would pop out and her magic would zap out of her fingers like that old movie about humans with specialized magic that Uncle Harry loved so much. But sometimes, oh _sometimes_ it would just make everything so much easier if she could hit people.

Like Al.

"I didn't know he was that Malfoy," Al whispered.

"What other Malfoy did you think he could be?" Rose said.

"Shh, shh! He'll hear you!"

"I don't care,_I'm_ not the one reneging on our new best friend just because my stupid older brothers and even stupider older cousins make a load of stupid little remarks about some stupid, stupid, _stupid_ fight hat happened years ago--"

Al put his hands on his hips. "It wasn't a stupid fight, Rose. It was a terrible war. You take that back or I'll tell your mum and dad."

She wrinkled her nose. "Well, fine, it wasn't but the fact remains that we didn't fight the war so I don't see why we'd have to be mad at him for something his grandparents did."

"I'm not mad at him, I just think our parents will--" He suddenly straightened and Rose knew Scorpius was on his way over.

"What took you so long?" she asked, waving frantically. "Hagrid's almost at the end of the street."

"I had to make sure of something in my trunk," said Scorpius. "Then I almost went into a carriage 'cause I thought I saw Al-- any case, let's get on with it. We'll never get to school if you slowcoaches don't pick up your feet."

"But you're the one who--"

Scorpius winked and laughed. That made Al laugh so Rose had to laugh, too. They were having a fine time of it all when the dreadnought arrived.

James and his cronies came over supposedly to say good-bye but Rose knew they were going to take the piss. They always did and while she didn't mind, she knew Al did very much so. "Oi! Al! Mind the squid; he don't like lollygaggers."

Al's eyes widened.

"Squid?" Scorpius whispered, uncertain now of whether or not he wanted to catch up to the rest of the first years.

"He's being silly," said Rose. "At least, I'm pretty sure he is. Of course, there _was_ that time he said he found a tree that beat people up which was, of course, so silly we called him a liar right away but Dad and Mum and Uncle Harry said it was true and they'd been whipped by that tree back in school which makes me wonder why they'd keep something like that around when it endangers the students but then I wonder about a lot of things that go--"

"Rosie, put a lid on it already, will you?" James peered at her owlishly. "Y'know, I don't think she breathed through that whole time."

Rose did the only thing left to do of course. She bopped him on the head.

"Ow! Why you little--"

"James, stop it! I'm telling Dad!" Al screamed while he and Scorpius tugged on the old boy's robe.

"Get the little marmots off me!" James ordered his friends who, still chortling over the sight, pulled the kicking, flailing boys off.

"This one bites," said James' friend, the one who had Scorpius by the waist.

"I hope you get germs!" Rose said.

"Tiny things that make muggles sick," James translated for his wizard friends. "Nasty things. You need shots to get rid of them."

His friend dropped Scorpius immediately, horrified. "I need to get shot?"

"No, _a_ shot with a needle and--"

"Yes! Wherever you get bitten, you have to get it shot off and let it bleed and bleed and bleed because the germs get into your bloodstream and eat everything it touches _then_ you need to get new blood it but it has to match and that chances of that are so slim, they usually use sewer water instead but knowing you, you'd probably need to have slug pee included with pepper and woodlouse legs and--" Rose would have gleefully gone on if Al hadn't covered her mouth with his hand.

"Oh look, Hagrid's almost at the bottom of the hill, we'd best be going."

"Hold a tic, I think I know you." Another of James' friends held on to Scorpius's arm and presented him formally to the group. "He looks an awful lot like Lucius Malfoy, don't you think? That Death Eater we learned about in Binn's class who chickened out last minute."

James snapped his fingers. "That's 'cause he _is_ a Malfoy. I heard Uncle Ron talking at the station. Isn't that right, marmot?"

Al shrank even as Scorpius tried to puff up. Boys! Really! Rose rolled her eyes. She stepped forward to blast James a new one but to her surprise, Al beat her to the punch.

"You leave him alone, James. He's _my_ friend. So just... push off." And Al _actually_ shoved James away! Not that James moved-- he weighed at least two stone heavier than Al if not more-- but still it was the thought that counted and if that wasn't admiration in James' expression, Rose would buy rose-scented perfume.

"Whatever, twip. I'll see you in the Great Hall. And you'd better be sorted into Gryffindor or I'll knock you on your arse." James hooked an arm around Al's neck and messed his hair up.

Disgruntled, Scorpius smacked the wrinkles from his robe. "Your brother's not all there in the head, is he?"

"Sometimes I wonder," said Al.

Rose sniffed. "I_know_ he isn't. He crashed one too many times chasing the snitch. He should really watch that 'cause Mama said one too many concussions causes brain damage which I think already started 'cause if you watch carefully, his arm jerks up and goes through his hair_all_ the _time_ for absolutely no reason 'cause his hair's already done fine; it just messes it up. I heard that's a symptom of Turret Syndrome. I don't know why they call it Turret Syndrome unless people only catch it in turrets which would make sense since Hogwarts _is_ a castle. Do you think it's contagious?"

Scorpius made a face. "I hope not. I don't want to turn into him."

"I've lived with him all my life and I haven't caught it. I hope." Al scrunched up his nose.

"Albus! Rosie!" Hargrid's call boomed up from the lakeside. "Come on then, yeh two, an' bring yer friend or yeh'll miss it all."

Arms linked, they chased after the rest of the first years.


End file.
